Commemorating Anzac Day in 2021

Anzac Day is the most sacred day of commemoration on the Australian calendar. Last year, in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, people across the country participated in their own forms of commemoration. This included a national movement that saw Australians standing in their driveways on the dawn of Anzac Day, taking the time to reflect and commemorate. 

This year, there are a range of ways you can pause and reflect on the service and sacrifice of all our Australian service personnel who have served the nation for over a century; and the more than 102,000 Australians who have died in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations.  

One way is to tune into the ABC to watch the Dawn Service and National Ceremony from the Australian War Memorial. Another is to joining thousands of other Australians in leaving a poppy and a personalised message on the Virtual Poppy Wall. You can leave your poppy here: www.lestweforget.gov.au. 

Depending on local health advice, you can attend a local community dawn or commemorative service or take part in the RSL’s ‘Light up the Dawn’ campaign. Upload photos from your local service, or stories of your local war memorial and those remembered upon it, to Places of Pride – the national register of war memorials.

DVA has also released a digital ‘kitbag’, which provides resources to help commemorate Anzac Day your way.

This kitbag can be used for commemorative activities at home or by those wishing to hold small services in their local community. 

It includes a variety of useful and practical resources such as:
•    posters
•    sample speeches
•    orders of service
•    supporting music, including a Spotify playlist
•    craft cards on how to make Anzac biscuits, poppies or a wreath
•    social media banners. 

Everything in the kitbag is free and in one easy spot for downloading. It is designed to be simple for all Australians to access and use. You can download it from the Anzac Portal.